How to Set Up IR Channel Changing with a Digital Transport Adapter

Some cable providers who are transitioning their Extended Basic lineups from analog to digital format are offering Digital Transport Adapters (DTAs) to allow their customers to view these channels. Once you hook up the Digital Transport Adapter to your TiVo DVR (click here for hookup instructions), you will need to set up an IR control cable to allow your DVR to change the channels on the Digital Transport Adapter.

IR setup using a Remote Control Signal Receiver

The following procedure describes how to set up IR channel changing using the Remote Control Signal Receiver cable included with many Digital Transport Adapters. This is the preferred method because the sensor on this cable is more responsive to the IR signals sent by TiVo DVRs than the sensor that is built into the Digital Transport Adapter box.

If your Digital Transport Adapter did not come with a Remote Control Signal Receiver, click here for IR setup instructions using the Digital Transport Adapter's built-in sensor.

Show the setup

Connect the Remote Control Signal Receiver cable to the IR In port on the back of the Digital Transport Adapter.

Remove the protective paper on the sensor end of this cable and attach the sensor to the side of the Digital Transport Adapter, as shown in the Front View illustration below.

Connect the IR cable that came with your TiVo DVR to the IR port on the back of the DVR.

Position one emitter at the other end of this cable so that the IR signal can reach the IR sensor on the Remote Control Signal Receiver cable (see illustrations below). Use the adhesive strips included with the IR cable to attach the emitter to the Digital Transport Adapter.

The optimum position for the emitter is usually about 1” to 1.5” from the sensor. You may need to experiment until you find the best location. Because of the small size of the Digital Transport Adapter's sensor, you will only need to use one emitter.

Front view:

Back view:

If your Digital Transport Adapter package did not include a Remote Control Signal Receiver, you can try positioning an IR emitter over the IR sensor on the front of the Digital Transport Adapter. Some TiVo DVR owners have reported success with this method; however, if you find that channel changing does not work, or is unreliable, you may want to ask your cable provider for a different Digital Transport Adapter or cable box.

Show the setup

Connect the IR cable to the IR port on the back of your TiVo DVR.

Position an emitter at the other end of the cable so that the IR signal can reach the IR sensor on the Digital Transport Adapter (see illustrations below). Because of the small size of the Digital Transport Adapter's sensor, you will only need to use one emitter.

The optimum position for the emitter is usually about 1” to 1.5” from the sensor. You may need to experiment until you find the best location.